In a move to help broadcasters prepare for the DTV transition, Linear Acoustic is offering to broadcasters a LAMBDA digital audio and metadata monitor for $100 when they purchase an AERO.air 5.1 transmission loudness manager. The offer is valid until the Feb. 17 DTV deadline.

Many broadcasters are feeling caught between needing new equipment to comply with the FCC-mandated DTV deadline and the current economic downturn. The Linear Acoustic offer will ensure broadcasters have the latest in loudness control and audio image stability, while being able to monitor audio and metadata quality throughout the entire broadcast chain, one of LAMBDA’s features.

"With the DTV transition quickly approaching, broadcasters are looking for cost-effective solutions that handle all key aspects of audio to provide viewers with an optimal viewing experience," said Christina Carroll, VP of sales and marketing at Linear Acoustic. "By offering our LAMBDA for just $100 with the purchase of an AERO.air audio processor, we are providing broadcasters with the capabilities they need for the DTV transition — at a significant cost savings when budgets are tighter than ever."

Engineered on the foundation of the company's OCTiMAX 5.1 processors, the AERO.air 5.1 10-channel DTV audio processor features dynamic loudness processing with state-of-the-art audio image stability. The AERO.air includes the AutoMAXII auto-detection algorithm to smoothly upmix or automatically bypass 5.1 mixed content. The AERO.air also features a metadata manager as well as full-time, two-channel downmixing to support legacy analog paths. Dual redundant, hot-swappable power supplies are standard. Options include HD-SDI input, internal Dolby Digital AC-3 encoding, metadata output and CrowdControl.

Linear Acoustic's LAMBDA professional digital audio and metadata monitor allows audio and metadata monitoring throughout the broadcast chain. LAMBDA shows the ITU loudness measurement that can be directly compared with dialnorm; displays Dolby E and Dolby Digital metatdata; can apply Dolby metadata to the audio; allows the metadata to be used to change the audio program configuration to make sure the metadata and audio match; and enables the user to quickly step through multiple audio programs for monitoring.